A Marie Antoinette Inspired Valentine’s Day
Marie Antoinette may be the queen of cake, but I fancy myself, the queen of Le Soirée. If I could reign over anything, it would, without a doubt, be the art of le dîner. An endless world of aesthetic evenings, imaginative tablescapes, seasonal feasts and an abundance of exceptional dress all swirling around me. Absolutely nothing would make my heart soar higher than to be crowned queen of fêtes.
My love for dinner parties and all things hosting goes all the way back to a childhood of imaginative tales and running around five acres with a living canvas at my fingertips. Luckily I had parents who nurtured this wild creativity and indulged me in my living room theatre performances and whatever artistic whim that came next. From reciting favorite books from memory to tying my sister into a red-flyer wagon (for safety) and then attaching the family dog (only to see her and the red-flyer zipping through the yard while the dog chased the cat under the front porch (everyone was fine))… I have wonderfully fuzzy memories of it all. But what I remember most clearly are the forced dining experiences. I would wrangle my parents and younger sister to indulge in my little pop-up restaurants where my specialty was some kind of cheddar cheese rice crispy concoction with canned jalapeños? There was a recipe in some random cook book I pulled from the kitchen shelf and I recall them being quite good. But I was twelve, so who knows. I do however, know that there were hand drawn menus and table settings, and my poor sister was bossed around and forced to be the waiter. Since then, my skills as a home chef/baker, food stylist, menu strategist and all around host have greatly improved… But it does go to show, that le dîner, is simply in my blueprint.
Le thème
For one of my all-time favorite holidays, I selected one of my all-time favorite historical figures. Known for her love of art, fashion and entertaining, Marie Antoinette will forever serve as the most perfect source of inspiration for an epic-ly feminine Valentine’s Day fête.
With a strong influence from Sofia Copolla’s Marie Antoinette along with my love of Versailles and all things France, I set out to create an evening that encompassed the style and frivolity that is so aptly associated with with the reign of Louis XVI. For the soirée, I wanted an overwhelming romanic flair with extra sweet touches… a feast of pastel candies, perfect little chocolates, Parisian style pastries and though the queen did not actually proclaim ‘let them eat cake’, a Marie Antoinette party most definitely requires the presences of cake(s). It would be the perfect combination of the famous ‘I want candy’ dessert/fashion montage in the film along with a softer influence from Marie’s romantic world within le Petit Trianon. It would simply be a Valentine’s Day to beat all other Valentine’s Days.
L'exécution
Once my theme is solidified, I move into execution mode.
It is now that I am thinking about the table itself. Will this be a sit-down affaire or more of a buffet or cocktail vibe? What type of serving dishes will I be needing? Do I require an etsy dive to hunt down a few items to make the dream a reality? All of these answers will shape how I structure the night as a whole — from the guest list to the menu.
Once I have a rough idea of the night I am able to move forward with a date, and physical or digital invitations are sent out. These will include a visual vibe for the evening (a photo, painting, what-have-you as the background to set the tone) along with all the necessary information on it, including a dress code (my friends know this is lovingly enforced).
While R.S.V.P.s are rolling in, I am breaking down my menu and narrowing in on the inspo for the evening. By now I have vivid images of the ideal soirée dancing about in my head, and it is from there that I begin to work backwards. I turn my attention to the menu, and though I have a general idea before I even send out the invitations, it is at this stage that I lock everything into place. I break down the menu, each dish with a list of every single ingredient and what it will be served on… this way I know I am leaving nothing to chance. I mean, I even add something as minute as salt to this list so that I am guaranteed to have everything needed. I leave zero room for surprises on the day of the event. I have been there. Its awful and stressful and I wish to never repeat that avoidable melt down ever again! So I dig in with a fine toothed comb, mapping it all out. Every. Single. Detail. And this truly, is my saving grace.
I also outline a rough schedule for the days leading up to my party. When will I do my grocery shopping? What can I prepare in advance? Et cetera… And then I focus in on the day before and the day of. Listing out each ‘to-do’ and the time frame in which I plan to do it. And even with all of this, still I manage to run a bit late. I seem to always be fussing with final details or doing my makeup when the first couple guests arrive. It use to stress me out to not be 100% ready, and oui, there are times when I cannot get away with it, but at the end of the day, ready or not, we all have a great time… and no one seems to mind that the hostess is a bit frazzled before the first bottle of champagne is opened.
With what feels like countless soirées under my belt, I believe I am finally starting to get the hang of it all. I have a recipe for execution, planning, styling and day dreaming. And so far, it has been working pretty well. Though if I am being honest, there is always room for improvement. I am simply hoping that by sharing my hosting strategies, successes and failures, that I can inspire others on their dinner party journey.
And as a final l’exécution note, at the end of the day, no matter what happens or what ‘I wish I had done differently’ thoughts plague me, I fall so much in love with these evenings that (almost) no amount of blood sweat and tears will deter me from my obsession with a fabulous dinner party!
Les girls
A love note…
I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have a circle of beautiful women in my life. Women who show up with on theme bottles of champagne rosé and text me with images seeking attire approval — because they know that aesthetics is my love language. Who indulge me in my insistent photo taking and my need for things to look a ‘certain way’. The women who have seen me through the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Le Supper Club would not be where it is today without the support and love from the wonderful souls in my life. From days when the invite included BYOC (bring your own chair) because I only had two and obviously could not host with only two little chairs, to my 380 square foot studio apartment with a kitchen so small, you could hardly turn around in it. And let’s not forget, that time when a friend showed up to find me cooking last minute items in my underwear because it was so damn hot! It has been, and will continue to be, an adventure.
And then, for the valentines fête of my dream, these lovely women understood the assignment, arriving in silk dresses and pink bows, with corsets, florals, lace and white stockings...It was nothing short of icing on my personal soirée queen cake. To share in the revelry, the feminine frivolity… what an absolute delight. Visions of my Versailles dream life were beautifully illuminated in my own humble Boîte a Bijou and the memories we created together, utterly priceless.
In general the petit short film of the evening is the best possible summary of the night, but if you are in need of an abridged version… we ate, we had cake, we sipped on champagne until silly, tipsy chaos ensued. In short, it was the conversions that melted into endless giggles, the living room dance party, the countless Polaroids snapped through the night and the evening’s tableau that, upon reflection, are my most favorite gems of the event. And now, after I recover, I simply cannot wait to see where the next one takes us. Bisou Xx
Soirée cake with lemon curd and naturally dyed frosting - Odella Bakes Cake Kit
Naturally Dyed red velvet cake with raspberry buttercream and raspberry coulis - Odella Bakes Cake Kit
Cheese and honey
Framer’s market crudités served with green goddess and herby créme fraîche
Fruits and berries
Assorted candies
Macarons
Camille X Marie Antoinette - a recipe for a galentines soirée.
Let them eat cake - cake mix by Odella Bakes & decorated to the nines
Fictional men only - supplied through a silent screening of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in the background
Feminine touches - Bows, floral patterns, lace, vintage fans, corsets and silk
Soft dreamy lighting - via candelabras, a smattering of tapered candles and dimmed floor lamps
Sweets for the sweeties - assorted candies, mini cakes, chocolates, macarons, berries, fruit shaped marzipan, meringue kisses, et cetera…
A handmade tablecloth - the perfect custom touch to the dessert laden table
Endless champagne - served in vintage coup glasses (with bows, bien sur!)
Le Formage - with honeycomb, grapes, chips, crackers and other savories such as crudités and dips
An exceptional playlist - a mix of the soundtrack, a few personal favorites and classic 18th century French vibes
Lots of polaroids - via a vintage polaroid camera collection
A 1700’s inspired dress code - think the famous candy montage scene paired with the Petit Trianon softer aesthetic
Flirty fun - Tipsy dance parties and non-stop giggles
Et voila! You have yourself a flirty and unforgettable evening fit for the queen of cake herself. Xx
